Tanzania Classic Safari Itinerary
Arrival in Arusha
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Transfer to your hotel. Arusha City, located in the northern highlands of Tanzania, beneath the twin peaks of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, is the safari capital of the country. Guests embarking on the popular northern safari circuit all stop here to prepare for their journeys into the African bush. Established by the Germans as a centre for colonial administration in the early 20th century, today Arusha is one of the country’s most prosperous towns and a major centre of Tanzanian diplomacy and international relations – lending it its nickname, the ‘Geneva of Africa’. Overnight at Zawadi Lodge
Tarangire National Park
Breakfast at the lodge. Drive from Arusha to Tarangire National Park. Picnic lunch en route. Afternoon game viewing drive. Tarangire National Park gets its name from the river that threads its way through the length of the reserve. It is famous for its dense wildlife population which is most spectacular between June and October, the dry period – making it the best time to visit for wildlife viewing and walking – during which time thousands of animals migrate from the dry Masai steppe to the Tarangire River looking for water. Tarangire also has the largest population of elephant of any park in the northern circuit and is also home to 550 varieties of bird. In the evening drive to Karatu for dinner and overnight at Kankari Lodge.
Ngorongoro Crater
Breakfast at the lodge. Drive to Ngorongoro Crater for half day (5 hours) crater tour. Picnic lunch. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken caldera in the world – surrounded by very steep walls, giving it the appearance of a natural amphitheatre. – and home to up to 30,000 animals, almost half being wildebeest and zebra. The crater is also one of the few places in East Africa where visitors can be certain of seeing black rhino. Countless flamingoes form a pink blanket over the soda lake while more than 100 species of birds not found in the Serengeti have been spotted. The crater which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area – bounded by Lake Eyasi in the southwest and the Gol Mountains in the north and includes the Olduvai Gorge. Afternoon continue to Central Serengeti National Park for dinner and overnight at Thorn Tree Camp.
Central Serengeti National Park
Full day unlimited game viewing in the park. The Serengeti National Park is arguably the best known wildlife sanctuary in the world. “Serengeti” means “endless plains” in the Masai language, and within its boundaries are more than three million large mammals. In May or early June, huge herds of wildebeest and zebra begin their spectacular 600 mile pilgrimage – in their wake follow the predators – lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and jackal – while vultures circle overhead and some of Africa’s biggest crocodile lie in wait. There is, of course, also a profusion of birdlife – over 500 species. All meals and overnight at Thorn Tree Camp.
Karatu Area
Early morning game drive in Serengeti. Drive to Karatu with game drive enroute. Dinner and overnight at Country Lodge
Departure
Breakfast at the lodge. Then drive back to Arusha and transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport (an extension to Zanzibar possible on request).
